Radiation Protection Flashcards

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1
Q

Background radiation dose to a member of public??

A

2.5mSv

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2
Q

What is Air Kerma?

A

Total Kinetic energy released per unit mass by an ionising radiation

Units Gy

Measurement in air used as air has a similar atomic number to soft tissue (7) and effect on radiation on changes in temp are so small that they can be ignored.

At lower dose: AIR KERMA = ABSORBED DOSE

At higher doses: AIR KERMA > ABSORBED DOSE

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3
Q

Absorbed dose?

A

Amount of deposited energy in a substance

Units of Gy

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4
Q

Relationship between:

Absorbed dose

Equivilent dose

Effective dose

A

Absorbed dose in Gy

multiply by Radiation weighting factor

Equivilent dose in Sv

multiply by tissue weighting factor (had no units)

Effective dose in Sv
(
absorbed dose weighted for ratiosensitvity of tissue)

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5
Q

What is Radiation weighting factor?

A

Takes into account effects of different types of radiation

Alpha particles highest: 20

Protons: 2

X-ray, beta, gamma, positrons: 1

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6
Q

Does effective dose relate to stochastic or deterministic effect?

A

Risk of stochastic effects in linked to the EFFECTIVE DOSE

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7
Q

What are the tissue weighting factors?

A

A value given to the different organ sensitivies to radiation

Bone, colon, lung, breast: 0.12

Gonads: 0.08

Skin and brain: 0.01

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8
Q

When is the highest risk to the fetus?

A

All or nothing effect during early fetal stage (0 - 2 weeks)

First trimester is very sensitive: high incidence of congenital malformations

Childhood cancer biggest risk in FIRST TRIMESTER

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9
Q

What is threshold dose for CNS malformations to fetus?

A

100 - 200mGy

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10
Q

When to suspend breastfeeding?

A

Completly if: had course of I131

3 weeks if:

  • I131, I125
  • Gallium
  • Sodium
  • Thallium

12 hours after:

  • Iodine 131 hippurate
  • All Technetium 99m compounts (except Tc red cells which is 4 hours)

4 hours:

  • Technetium 99m red cells
  • DTPA
  • Phosphonates
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11
Q

Effective Dose limits for employee >18years

(Effective Dose governs STOCHASTIC effect risk)

A

20mSv per year

or

100mSv in any consecutive 5 years (with a max of 50mSv per any single year)

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12
Q

Effective dose limits for trainee <18 years

A

6mSv

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13
Q

Effective dose limit for <16 year (trainee or anyone)

A

1mSv per year

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14
Q

Dose to abdomen for person of reproductive capacity (STAFF)

A

13mSv in any consecutive 3 months

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15
Q

What is DAP?

A

DAP = entrance skin dose x cross sectional area of x-ray beam

  • A measure of patient exposure
  • Not affected by distance

Units Gy/cm2

The DAP meter must intercept the ENTIRE area of the x-ray beam

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16
Q

Equivilent dose limits?

Deterministic

A

Lens: 20mSv over 18 years

15mSv under 18 years and indirectly from another person

Extremeties and Skin: 500mSv over 18 years

150mSv for under 18 years

50mSv for thosse exposed indirectly after exposure of another person

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17
Q

What is controlled area?

4 points

A

Where person working their may be subject to:

  1. Effective dose >6mSv
  2. Lens dose 15mSv
  3. Equivilent dose of 3/10 of any relevant dose limit
  4. External dose rates 7.5microSv/hour averaged over the day
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18
Q

What is supervised area?

A

If anyone in the area is likely to receive a dose of 1mSv/year or 1/10th or any dose limit

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19
Q

When to notify HSE?

A
  • Doses exceed staff dose limits
  • Exposures much greater than intended
  • Loss or theft or source
  • Release of spillage leading to significant contamination
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20
Q

What is yearly background radiation dose?

A

2.7mSv approx

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21
Q

Radiation dose - flights etc

A
  • Transatlantic flight: 0.08mSv
  • Nucleur power station worker: 0.18mSv
  • Annual average radon dose: 1.3mSv (out of total 2.7mSv average) - over 50% of dose
  • Average annual radon dose in Cornwall: 6.9mSv

Radon gas emits alpha particles

Medical contribution = 14% to yearly dose

  • CT contributes 47% of medical dose and is only 4% of exams

Nucleur Fallout (from testing of Nucleur weapons years ago)

  • dose is so minimum, just 0.2%
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22
Q

What causes direct damage to tissues?

A

Rupture of Covalent bonds

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23
Q

What causes indirect damage to tissues?

A

Production of free radicals

Free radicals cause chemical changes in tissues

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24
Q

Are absorbed doses higher or lower than effective dose?

A

Absorbed doses tend to be higher

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25
Q

What is the average radiation dose per hour of flying?

A

4µSv/hour

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26
Q

What do tissue weighting factors give an indication of?

A

An estimate of the MORTALITY from cancers per mSv to that organ or tissue

Do not account for likelihood of getting cancer

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27
Q

Does Skin and Bone surface have same tissue weighting factor?

A

Yes

0.01

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28
Q

Deterministic dose effects

A

Lowest is fetal abnormality is 0.1 - 0.5Gy

Most things is 2 - 5Gy

Cataracts is 5Gy

Fatal whole body dose is 5Gy

Deterministic effect gets more severe as dose increases

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29
Q

What is equivilent dose limit for the abdomen of a female employee of reproductive age?

A

13mSv in 3 months

30
Q

Who has overall responsibility for radiation protection?

A

Employer

31
Q

What is justification?

A

Justification to carry out or decline an examination if:

  • benefit of doing exam outweighs risk (carry out exam)
  • benefit of doing exam does not outweigh risk (decline to do exam)
32
Q

Governing body of IRR?

A

HSE (Health and safety excecutive)

33
Q

Gornerning body of IRMER for reporting overexposures to patients?

A

CQE (Care quality commission)

34
Q

Barium doses

A

Barium meal - 3mSv

Barium enema - 7mSv

35
Q

Does absorbed dose depend on organ mass?

A

NO

36
Q

Time of greatest risk of foetal abnormalities?

A

First trimerster

3 - 8 weeks

37
Q

Mental retardation?

A

First and second trimester

8 - 15th week

38
Q

Childhood cancer risk?

A

Maximal in first trimester

39
Q

Risk of fatal cancer from exposure?

A

1 in 20,000 per mSv

Or 5% per sievert

40
Q

Risk of childhood cancer from exposure in utero?

A

1 in 33,000 per mGy

3% per gray

41
Q

What does radon produce?

A

Alpha particles

42
Q

What can DAP ionisation chamber be used for?

A
  • x-ray
  • fluoro

NOT CT

43
Q

TLDs

A

Have:

  • linear response over wide dose range
  • generally used with filters
  • can be reused. can only be read out once
  • can detect shallow and deep doses
  • Have similar sensitivity to film dose badges
  • can measure finger and eye doses
  • Precision of 15% for low doses
  • Precision of 3% for high doses

Need heated to 300 degrees for read out

Need to be annealed after read out

TLD holder helps differentiate between skin and deeper doses

Disadvantages:

  • cannot measure dose rate
  • cannot differentiate between radiation types
  • affected by heat
44
Q

Film Badges

A

Advantages:

  • can identify type of exposure
  • Highly energy depdendent due to the different atomic numbers of Silver and Bromide
  • sensitivity is 0.1mSv
  • use double sided film emulsion (without a screen)
  • similar sensitivity to TLDs
  • provide a permanent record
  • can detect beta radiation and radioactive splash

No intensifier on a film badge

Disadvantages:

  • prone to fogging
  • must be developed and read out
  • require calibration
45
Q

OSL Badges

Optically stimulated luminescence

A

Use aluminium oxide

Intensity of luminescence is proportional to the absorbed dose

Can read dose as low as 0.01mSv

46
Q

Electronic dosimeters

A
  • Accurate to 1µSv
  • Require a filter
  • 100 times more sensitive than TLDs
  • Provide a direct reading
  • can be used to detect radioactive contamination

ARE HIGHLY ENERGY DEPENDENT

  • Geiger muller counters are counted as electronic dosimeters too
47
Q

Can secondary electrons cause ionization?

A

Yes

48
Q

Are writing protocols for doses and having medical physics expert part of IRMER or IRR?

A

Part of IRMER

49
Q

Radiation protection supervisor duties?

A
  • Investigation of excessive doses
  • ensuring staff follow local rules
  • ensuring QA processes in place
  • risk assessment for pregnant staff
50
Q

Can DAP be converted into effective dose?

A

Yes

  • Can be converted into EFFECTIVE DOSE using conversion factor
  • Conversion factors depend on the region of the body
51
Q

DRLs

Are they set locally?

A
  • Are set for standard sized patients (not taken into account for overweight folk)
  • Yes they are set locally by employer but they must be close to the nationally set DRLs

DRLs are set using ESD, screening times and DAP as references

52
Q

Wall protection requirements?

A

Lead - 2mm

Concrete - 1.5cm

Barium plaster - 2cm

Brick - 2.4cm

(equals 2mm of lead)

53
Q

Pregnant worker

A

Should inform EMPLOYER

Should not need to alter her working practice

54
Q

Pointers

A
  • Leakage of radiation should be less than 1mGy per hour at distance of 1m
  • Operator should stand 2m from x ray tube
  • Filtration in dentistry is 1.5mm aluminium
  • Lead apron 45 x 40cm long
55
Q

Does risk of stochastic effects increase LINEARLY or exponentially with dose?

A

Increases Linearly

Known as the Linear no threshold theory

Increased risk with lower age (kids more likely to get a cancer than an adult)

For stochastic effects:

  • Risk of leukaemia is usually peaking at around 7 years
  • Risk of solid organ tumour is around 40 years
56
Q

Who are overexposures due to equipment fault reported to?

A

Has to reported under IRR if it is due to equipment

Reported to HSE

57
Q

IRR

A
  • Employer must state their intention to HSE about using ionising equipment for FIRST time (not for equipement change)
  • Employers responsibilty to perform a risk assessment before installing new equipment (not manufacturers responsibility)
58
Q

Yearly effective dose limit for:

Adults/Under 18/Carer comforter

A

Adult >18: 20mSv

Under 18: 6mSv

Member of public or under 16: 1mSv

Carer of comforter: 5mSv in any period over 5 years

59
Q

Who governs testing of equipment?

A

IRMER and IRR

60
Q

What is a dose constraint?

A

It is the maximum dose than can be exceeded

61
Q

Dose to adults per year. Can it exceed 20mSv/year?

A

Yes it can as long as it doesnt exceed:

50mSv in a single year

100mSv over 5 years

62
Q

What can DRLs be expressed as?

A
  • Screening time
  • mA
  • kV
  • DAP
63
Q

How much radiation does lead apron transmit? 0.35mm

A

0.35mm transmits 3%

0.25mm transmits 5%

64
Q

What are the remainder organs in tissue weighting factors?

A
  • Kidneys
  • Adrenal
  • Gallbladder
  • Heart
  • Lymph nodes
  • Muscles
  • Pancreas
  • Uterus
  • Prostate
  • Small bowel
  • Thymus

All 0.01 each

65
Q

Changes new in IRR17

A
66
Q

Lead Aprons

A
67
Q

Radiation Doses for different exams

A
68
Q

Radiation protection advisor and medical physics expert

IRMER or IRR

A

Medical physics expert - IRMER

RPA - IRR

69
Q

RPS and RPA

A
70
Q

Is equivilent dose used to set occupational dose organ limits?

A

Yes